Aghlabid reservoirs of Kairouan
Cisternas aglabíes de Cairuán
- Date
- c. 862 · confidence medium
- Place
- Kairouan, Tunisia
- Credited to
- Aghlabid dynasty
- Field
- Tools
What it is
Circular stone and mortar reservoirs, a small settling basin and a large storage one, that collected rainwater from the Merguellil river through a canal to supply the city. They reproduce a Roman hydraulic solution adapted to a semi-arid climate.
The exact construction date (9th century, under Abu Ibrahim Ahmad, around 862-863) varies by source and the works were remodelled in later periods (Hafsid and Ottoman).
What it led to
- water supply of Kairouan, the Islamic capital of Ifriqiya
- a model of settling and storage basins in the medieval Maghreb
- continuity of Roman hydraulic engineering in the Western Islamic world